Wired
by Natasha28
Summary: AU based off an RP
1. Chapter 1

The crisp scent of the night air filled her with a sense of familiarity. With all the craziness that has been going on, Natasha was almost relieved to find herself in a job like this one. She watched Clint's place in the line reach the door.

"You sure the barcodes will work?" he asked through his com. She could sense his uneasiness through the tone of his voice. Goes to show how close of a partnership they had. But before she could get the words of reassurance out, another, perkier, voice answered.

"They better, that ink was expensive." Domino said with a roll of her eyes.

She didn't look like Dom at all. Her tight black dress outlined more curves than her usual suit, and her hair, still jet black, was pulled to the back in a bun. Her side bangs were expertly clipped to the front of her ear hiding the sight of her earpiece. Her complexion was completely different thanks to the diamond necklace around her neck. She was wearing a holographic mask that gave her sharper cheekbones and wider lips. She somewhat resembled Milla Jovovich when she gave her signature smirk. It was weird seeing Dom like this: tight dress and heels, not exactly the preferred choice of clothing for a mercenary. But even in a spaghetti strap cocktail dress she still manages to hide her many weapons. One could only guess how many C4s she had tucked under that outfit.

The three amigos were scattered among the long entry line. Nothing they did could suggest they were anything but smiling party guests.

"Plus if they catch us the whole in and out without a sound wouldn't happen." Clint muttered after being waved inside. He yanked at his tie nervously

"That won't happen anyways, Tweety. Don't be naive." Dom replied. She watched as Natasha neared the front of the line, more exposed that she usually is. Her crimson dress revealed as much skin as possible without breaking the "black tie" dress code. Her low neckline framed the tattoo on her neck. She barely had to tilt her head when she was scanned. It seemed rather bold of her to not even attempt hiding the false barcode. Then again who would be interested in staring at her neck when there are better things to look at.

"Well then lets get going" Dom mumbled impatiently, jealous, perhaps, that for the first time she was the last to enter a party.

She confidently walked over to the entrance door and 2 bulky looking gentlemen stood on either side, the left one holding a barcode reader.

"Next"

Dom gave the two gentlemen a grin as she saunters into the ballroom of the building. She heard a breath of relief from both Natasha and Clint as she made her way to her position.

"Well that worked well..." Natasha mumbled. She helped herself to a glass of much-needed Champaign from a bypassing waitress.

"Well it sounds like you had no faith in my abilities" Dom joked, faking a tone of offence.

"I'll be on the other side... if you need me" Clint casually strolling towards the opposite side of the room and taking a seat on one of the empty bar stools.

But out of the three, Dom was most busy. She had already begun attracting the attention of the male guests. Natasha turned her head to peek just to catch a glimpse of her luring one lucky fellow towards the balcony. She smirked as she casually glanced elsewhere.

"Someone's got a date," Natasha teased. Clint's smirk could be heard over the coms.

"So who's your date, Clover?" He grinned. He spoke as if he and the bartender were sharing a funny story.

"One day you're going to message me and I'll be making out with someone and you're so going to regret it" Dom replied through the com. She was out sight and Clint could only imagine what was going on.

"That is disgusting...thanks for that visual." He faked a gag

"It better be someone you want dead" Natasha smirked. It was a known fact that the Black Widow and Domino were not much different when it came to the fate of the one-time entertainments.

Across the room, a man in a grey tux was leaning against the wall. He clearly had a better view of the scene up in the balcony. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"is that?" the man thought to himself, "No..."

It was probably just another average couple trying to find some alone time. At that thought, he suddenly felt like he was invading their privacy. Ashamed, he left the spot he was stationed in and made his way towards the opposite side of the room.

"Oh please you're not much better" Dom's voice came slightly louder this time, telling them she was now alone and had no need to whisper.

"I kisses Barton and he's alive isn't it?" Natasha couldn't help shooting back

"Talk about awkward..." Clint muttered having heard that, that was the unfortunate part of having a 3-way link. "You never answered me Clover, who's the unlucky guy?"

"Very punny." Dom replied sarcastically, "Stay out of my business. Shouldn't you be looking out for your brother?"

"I am, he spotted you by the way. But he shrugged it off and looked away. Congrats clover, your gadgets worked. He doesn't know it's you"

He kept tabs on the grey suited man but only glancing once or twice to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Natasha was busy with her own angle. She eyed the side door that had been left partly open

"I'm going to go snoop around."

"Have fun. Barney has been staying close the entrance. He must be his bodyguard for the night... which makes this so much easier." He replied, the last part clearly dripping in sarcasm. He wasn't too fond of the idea of fighting his brother, especially in a place like this. Barney, however, seemed to have found another satisfying place leaning against the wall beside the front doors.

Natasha had managed to slip through the crack without drawing attention. She had found herself in a long, dark hallway. The continuing dialogue between Dom and Clint in her ear was both comforting and distracting.

"This whole 'we need Barney' thing is ticking me off" came Dom's frustrated voice, "It would be so easy to kill him right now."

"Want Tasha and I to die?" Clint's voice came in through an annoyed tone.

"Don't make me answer that."

"Love you too Clover."

Meanwhile Natasha had made her way in what looked like a private office, unlocked, for her convenience. The soft humming of the laptop told her it was only in sleep mode, and that someone had been here for not very long. She glanced again at the door and listened for any approaching footsteps. When she heard none she began hacking her way into the computer, her fingers expertly flew over the keyboard.

"Tasha where'd you go?"

Clint's voice made her jump slightly in surprise, but it did not interrupt her work. Her finger scrolled through the files and her eyes scanned through the documents.

"Give me a minute." She replied, "I think I found something."

She removes a portable key hidden in the heel of her shoe and began copying the files.

Back in the party room a slight movement had caught Barney's attention. As Clint reached for his drink his sleeve revealed a small part of his wrist that was originally covered. The exposed skin revealed thin, metal wires that were anything but noticeable. Even with his enhanced sight, it required a bit of luck to catch such a small detail. But he did, and he felt a smirk creep onto his face.

"Alright." Clint answered. He was mentally counting the officers in the room when a strong hand was laid on his shoulder. His heart practically jumped from his chest when he heard the familiar voice.

"Excuse me sir. But you shouldn't be here... should you." Barney taunted, "Clinton"

Busted.

"What? Who's Clinton?" He managed to laugh, still keeping his face away from his brother. He knew it was pointless but he never underestimates the power of stalling.

His brother, on the other hand, didn't seem all too fond of games. He harshly grabbed the hand that he was holding his drink with and flips it over to reveal the metal wires. The spilled beverage and shattered glass caused a small commotion for the guests near them.

"You're Clinton..." He growled, finally coming face to face with his frightened little brother. His free hand neared his brother's hairline, ready to rip off the delicate holographic mask that concealed his identity. All of a sudden, he felt a slender hand slide up his chest and a slim body leaning against his back. In regular circumstances, it was a pleasant, even arousing gesture. But instead, he took notice of the hard barrel of a gun be pushed against his spine, most likely concealed between their two pressing bodies.

"Now let's keep things civil here Barton..." A seductive voice mumbled softly so that only he could hear it. The commotion around them seemed to have died down as the waiters cleaned up the mess. The three of them had also froze in a position where The 2 men seemed to be up for some fight while the female was hugging the dominate male. From the guests' eyes they saw the small rumble as a misunderstanding or accused flirtation, nothing they haven't already seen.

"You brought the spider?" Barney replied, frozen in his place. He noticeably tensed at her presence and his eyes scanned their surroundings, "Now Natasha we wouldn't want to create a scene now would we?"

"No we would not."

She let her arms travel from his chest to his neck. She even went on her tiptoes and appeared to be planting a kiss on his cheek. But instead, she whispered against his ear.

"Let him go Barney..." He felt as the barrel of the gun travel up his back and press itself against the base of his skull. "or I'll blow your brains out..."

No one was watching anymore and could notice the movement of the hidden firearm.

"You can't kill me... You shoot me and you lose any hopes of getting a cure for poor baby brother." His voice was confident, but she detected just a slight bit of desperation, "Plus, the moment the gun goes off you'll have over 100 officers pointing their guns at you."

Barney tightened his grip on Clint's arm tighter demonstrating how he was on higher ground. Clint winced but he did manage to slip out his completed headcount

"105." He squeaked, "105 officers... I counted."

The headcount wasn't for Natasha; it was for Dom. She was the only one who still had her cover.

"I don't have to kill you Barney... Your enchantments will do the work for me. But I don't think your boss would appreciate you blowing up his party, now would he?" She continued in her seductive whisper

"Like I give a shit about him. He's paying top dollar to have me here."

"And how hard was it to arrange this exclusive party? Auctioning off the secrets of the enchantments? Billion and billions of dollars I imagine... All going down the drain because poor little Barney was upset his brother showed up," she taunted, "I think losing your job would be the least of your problems."

Barney's jaw tightened as he released Clint's wrist.

"Get out... all of you... I hope you aren't stupid enough to stay."

Natasha allowed him to walk away and quickly pulled back her gun and re-hiding in the folds of her dress

"Good boy" She mumbled lowly, a smirk followed shortly after

"Just get out." Barney growled, "I'll kill you later"

As he walked one way, Clint and Natasha went towards the other. He did a quick 360 and noticed that the front entrance had been mostly cleared and the number of officers in the room have reduced to about a half. However, Dom was nowhere to be seen.

"Clover, where are you? We're leaving"

"What about the big guy?" She replied, seemingly out of breath.

"We won't get a clean shot. Not with Barney around" Natasha was watching Barney as he slipped through the door that led to the hallway.

"We need to go" Clint insisted

"I'll catch up with you two"

"Where are you going?" he was exasperated at this point. From their position they could make out a line of black vans pulling into the front entrance curb.

"Dom, Barney is calling in reinforcements, we need to leave now." Natasha's voice was both urgent and stern. Her hand rested against her hidden gun, ready to act at a moment's notice.

"I'll be out in a second. Stop your damn worrying." Dom had made her way up to the third floor. She grinned as she caught the sight of a bulky envelope lying on a table beside a vase of flowers.

Meanwhile on the ballroom floor the vehicles outside dispatched a dozen suited men. But they were clearly not here to socialize.

"Come on," Natasha started quick pacing up the stairs to the second floor. Clint followed closely behind.

"I take it we aren't leaving?" he spoke quietly for her to hear

"Not until we make a mess" Natasha replied, her mind already forming a new plan, "You have your arrows, right?"

"I don't leave without them."

While Natasha and Clint made their way up, Dom was making her way down. The envelope she had looted was tucked in the folds of her dress.

'Where are you guys?" Dom asked just before catching the sight of the redhead and blonde at the top of the stairs.

"How many C4s did you pack?" Natasha asked her

"Only a few."

"You shouldn't have chosen such a tight dress," Clint smirked

"That was Ariel's fault" Dom snapped back

"Enough to bury the ballroom and everyone inside?" Natasha continued, ignoring the childishness of the two.

"That sounds exciting!" Dom replied, which Natasha took as a yes

"Set the charges at the key stress points of the building. Enough to collapse the roof and trap them inside" she quickly outlined her plan, "Barton, I need you to set up an escape route on the top floor"

"I have to get up on the roof?" Clint groaned uneasily

Natasha answered with, "You have five minutes"

"What about you?"

"I'm going to keep Barney busy," She answered, refilling her handgun with a fresh magazine. "Four minutes"

They had no time to argue. Clint made his way to the roof and took off his tux jacket. Hidden between the layers of fabric were a retractable bow and a handful of arrows. The quiver itself was too big to carry along so the task of switching arrowheads had to be done manually.

Dom had run towards the balcony and scaled the building by the growing vines setting charges at various locations. Her tight dress complained against the large movements and eventually she heard the fabric tear slightly near the rim.

Natasha, on the other hand, had drawn much attention to herself. She had taken cover behind a large pillar on a second floor overlooking the ballroom, as she was heavily outgunned. On occasion she did return fire and the commotion had frightened off most of the guests. Barney, however, seemed determined to bring her down. His aim was as accurate as Clint's which resulted in several close shots at her face. As she pressed herself against the safety of the pillar, Natasha counted the seconds until the detonation. She hadn't packed enough ammo to stall for long so instead of returning fire, she aimed at a different target – the chandelier. Two shots disconnected the grand chandelier from the ceiling and sent the crystals crashing down onto the center of the ballroom floor.

"All set up here." Dom announced through the coms. A fine coat of sweat had formed on her brow but she urged her body to continue scaling up the building and towards the roof, "Sounds like I'm missing all the fun"

At the roof an arrow followed by a long cable flew through the air. Just as it reached the second building, a grappling hook unfolded from the arrowhead and clung onto the brick wall.

"Zip line's set and ready to go" Clint's voice followed. He secured the other end of the cable and tugged on the line to test its stability.

Having heard the completion from both her teammates, Natasha began her escape to the roof. Using the last of her bullets, she took out as many lights as she could to cover her escape. Barney, however, picked up on her plan quickly

"What the hell" he muttered as he watched her run. "Shit"

He dropped his gun and began running towards the back entrance, escorting a man hidden behind a large black coat.

"Blow them up now"

Natasha practically flew up the stairs, barefoot. On one hand she carried her gun, the other her heels. She made it to the roof but Dom was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Dom?"

As an answer, a figure jumped off the balcony below and caught a hold of the zip line, laughing in delight.

"I always get the lucky bounce" Dom called as she sailed cross the line.

"Let's get out of here" Natasha grabbed one of the handles

"Go, I'm right behind you" Clint waited until Natasha jumped before he did the same himself.

Behind them, an explosion shook the cable as the roof came down on the building. But the three managed to land safety on the ground.

"Nice pun by the way" Clint grinned as he landed

"You started it"

"I know I did. And I regret it all the time"

The two shared a post-adrenaline rush laugh but Natasha remained quiet. She was watching the building. With her enhanced vision she could just about make out a black limo driving away.

"Hey, are you coming?" Clint asked.

Dom had already begun walking back towards their hotel.

"He got away," Natasha stated simply

"What? You're kidding right?" Clint followed her gaze, "Well... shit"

"Let's go" there was clear disappointment in her voice.


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the hotel the television had been turned on. It seems the news reporters have yet to catch up to their latest crime of blowing up a building. Dom had already ditched torn dress for a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. She had lost her shoes during the climb and her hair was wild from the wind. Dom made an effort to claim the shower first before the rest of her teammates arrived. She was towel-drying her short hair when a very tried Clint and a very pissed off Nat walked in.

"Where have you two been?" she asked with a clear attempt to lighten the mood.

"He got away" Natasha responded flatly

"Oh hell no."

"Barney was too fast." Natasha continued, "We were a second too late"

For the most part Clint was not injured, which added to his surprise when he found blood dripping down his nose. He muttered something along the lines of "Aw hell, not again" before walking to the bathroom.

"You are so lucky I got us cash tonight then." Dom gave a little head tilt towards the envelope. The contents have been scattered in piles over the bed.

"How'd you get us cash?"

"Just cause I work with you doesn't mean I stopped being a mercenary." She replied matter-of-factly.

Natasha tossed her heels to the side along with any remaining jewelry she had on. Then she made a beeline to her laptop and plugs the drive in.

"So, what's our next move?" Dom asked. She was flipping through a wad of cash.

"I thought it was still kill the big guy?" Came Clint's voice from the bathroom

"He's keeping Barney alive" Natasha replied, "He's ensured his loyalty to him"

"I'm guessing with the cure." The bathroom door opened to reveal Clint holding a tissue against his nose. His voice sounded nasally, "That must be what he's paying Barney with. So what's our move then?"

"I'll have to go buy more weapons..." Dom finished counting the money shoving a wad of bills in her pocket and the rest in her bag.

Clint removed the tissue from his nose to check if the bleeding has stopped. It had, but moments later it starts again.

"Well this is getting ridiculous" he muttered returning to the bathroom

"Do you need more tissues?"

"Yes"

The bathroom door opened again, just as Dom tossed a roll of toilet paper. For a man with perfect aim, he still managed to miss the catch. Dom snickered

"Blood poisoning" Natasha whispered, loud enough for them to hear

"What about it?"

"The metal they used for the wires. It's poisonous" she continued, reading off the screen.

"What are side effects?" Clint asked, "It wouldn't happen to be nosebleeds would it?"

She scrolled down, "It's one of them..."

"Oh well that's cool." Clint muttered sarcastically

"Well I'm not selling my other kidney for you two to get fancy tech again." Dom said rolling her eyes, "Whatever we have now we have to use. I can get ammo but that's about it."

Both Clint and Natasha froze and turned towards her

"You sold your kidney?" Natasha asked hiding the shock from her voice

"When did that happen?!" Clint asked not hiding the shock from his voice

"Organs are rare on the black market. It's fine." Dom replied waving it off, "Some people sell their livers, die out in a few days. Idiots."

"You shouldn't have done that" Natasha said turning her attention back to the screen

"You really shouldn't have." Clint replied reaching for more tissues

"You two are dying. Can you please save your precious few words to say something more productive?"

"I don't think we can. They aren't paying Barney with the cure. Why?" Natasha turned the screen towards the others, "Because there is no cure"

"Maybe their keeping it hush hush." Dom reasoned, "You know not giving it out until there's a high demand higher demand means it's worth more money."

She moved the laptop to scroll through the documents herself.

"I don't think so. Vibranium is still a new element. It hasn't been tested enough yet." Natasha ran her fingers through her hair "Nothing so far has been able to neutralize it. It reacts to the acid from the serum. Expanding it."

"Then what are they giving Barney" Clint asked, he pulled the last tissue from the box "Umm... guys, are there any tissues out there?"

"They are giving him the same drug used to treat palladium blood poisoning. It keeps the symptoms down and slows down the expansion process but doesn't stop it."

"So he'll last longer? That's perfect." Clint muttered, "About this tissues I really need them. Is they're any out there?"

"I'll check the maids' cart outside" Natasha stood up and slipped out the door, she came back moments later with a handful of rolls, "Here"

"Thanks" was the only thing he said before disappearing back into the bathroom

"No period jokes, I'm guessing..." Dom snickered

"Shut up Dom." Clint yelled from inside

"What are we going to do about the dictator?" Natasha asked, interrupting their bickering

"Well he knows we're after him." Dom shrugged, "He'll probably be going to safe place, far away. If he gets there we might be screwed, but if we catch him on the way..."

"What if he's not the one pulling the strings? What if he's just the image?" Natasha's brows furrowed with thought, "Adolf Hitler was the one to blame in World War 2 but he wasn't the one making the decisions, he was merely the spokesperson of the Nazis. What if that's all he is? What if there is someone else pulling the strings?"

"So you're saying we wasted perfectly good C4?" Dom frowned

"I'm saying we're after the wrong guy. You cut the strings and a puppet can't move."


End file.
